Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-10-24
HOME AFFAIRS.
WAR FINALLY BREAKS OUVAMONG
THE KNIGHTS.
Murderers on the Severe
Snow-Storms-Indian Troubles
A Fatal Explosion.
isFEclAL DISPATCHES TO TIE nsooaD-usIoN.I
THE GAUNTLET THROWN.
Open Rebellion Inaugurated in the
knights of Labor,

hhiShts Oi LABOR.
CHICAGO, October 23d.-Dissenters from
the action taken at the Minneapolis
Convention have declared open war with
the Executive Board of the Knights of La
Dor, and have issued their declaration for
Independence. On their return from the
Convention about thirty five delegates, rep
resentng thirteen States, stopped in Chi
cago and determined to bring about q re-
organization of the Order. They elected q
Provisional Committee of five members, Of
which Charles II. Lieb was made Secretary.
a long communication was drafted in Sec
retary Lieb's Office to-day, and will be for
warded TO morrow in circular form to
Knights of Labor all over the country.
The circular starts out as follows:
To the Rank and File Of the Order Of Ki,ighs Of
LABOR: Indignant at the usurpation of power
aud gross violation of the laws of the Order by
those high i'll authority; disguised with those
whose loyalty 10 the present ring has been
gain d by the pickings they received as reward
Tor their seTyices incersed at the fawning syc-
ophantS who crawl on their knees in slavish
submission to the most corrupt, most hypocrit-
zeal, most autocratic and tyranlc Il clique that
mas ever controlled any labor oIganization--we
therefore affirm the motto of our Order that
when bad men combine the good must associ-
ate, else they Will fall, oue by one, III an incon-
teStdble struggle"
We assert that the hour has come when. rs
honest men and women, we declare ourselves
independent OF those who have abused the con-
tidence reposed in them by our order Our duty
TO workingmeu and women demands that we at
once reorganiZe the order of Knights of Labor
on basis " hich will secure the autonomy of
trades and the sovereignty of districts in all
pertaining to their trade and local affairs, and
to prevent it from being used in the future as a.
machine to fill the Golfers of designing and un-
scrupulous men, as 1t is now by those in power
The circular then goes on at great length
to give the reasons which have compelled
this serious action on our part" Il charges
that the General offices have become
luxuriant haunts for men whose chief aim
is TO benefit self pecuniarily and other
wise; that theie has been for more than a
year conspiracy for the purpose OF hold
ing salaried positions in and under the
General Assembly; that this conspiracy
had used the secret channels and funds OF
the order to manufacture sentiment from
certain members and against others; that
organizers commissions have been refused
to members known to disagree with the
methods of the ring; that District and
Local Assemblies have been suspended or
expelled for opposing the policy of the con
spirators; that the records of the Gen
eral office have been fixed so as
to rule out or to admit, as
Assembly representatives; that many
thousands of dollars of the Orders funds
have been illegally expended, frequently
against the earnest protests of the honest
and law-abiding members; that honest
men devoted to the cause of labor have
been made the scapegoats of laundering
high officials, and driven in disgrace from
the movement. The efforts made by AS
semblies to better their condition have
been strangled by the ring; the constitu-
ton has been altered in an illegal manner;
measures identical to the Order at large
have been railroaded into law; war has
been waged by the Administration rings
against the trades unions and trades dis
tricts, in spite of the Orders obligation to
extend helping hand to all branches of
| honest toll"
Nearly every important strike or lockout
! in which the general officers interfered
have been lost, as a result of this blunder-
ing and stupidity arbitrary policy on the
part of the administration. The member
ship of the order has decreased 21S 600
members i'll oGe year. In spite of this de-
crease they have increased the annual ex-
penditures of the general officers 10 $780,
600. In the General Assembly arguments
were met by buncombe, gag law reduced
TO system, outrageous decisions rendered,
appeals and protests ignored, and all for
the purpose of covering up the rascality of
those in power.
The circular requests all Local and Dis
trict Assemblies in accord with the declara-
ton, or desiring information, to address
Secretary Lieb